Here's How to Know If You Have a Long Torso
On average, a woman's upper half (defined as the distance from the top of her head to her groin) is 55 percent of her whole body length. If your measurements are more than a little over half your total, you have a long torso. Another way to tell without using a measuring tape is to place one flattened palm underneath your bust line, then your other hand just under it. If the edge of your lower hand is at your belly button, that's an indication of average proportions. If your belly button is an inch or two below your lower palm—ding ding ding!—you probably have a long torso.
How's the Fit on the Andie Suit?
I usually take a small or medium in the two-pieces I wear, although TBH, post-pandemic, I'm skewing more toward mediums in my fits. Andie's suits are offered in regular and long-torso lengths. You can make sure you're ordering the right one by measuring from where your bra strap hits on your shoulder to the inseam of your pants. If the measurement is more than 30 inches, the web site diplomatically counsels that you "might prefer [the] Andie long-torso fit." (It's fine, Andie, I can deal with my mallard physique, I cast off the yoke of body shaming from The Man years ago.) My strap-to-inseam measurement is a healthy 32 inches, so I went for the brand's recommendation for a medium long.
The suit's unusual fit was apparent as soon as I stepped into the suit. The boobs hit where they were supposed to, and the fabric over the stomach wasn't straining to cover my middle section. The rear of the suit is described as offering medium coverage, which means it doesn't ride up to become an inadvertent thong, but it also doesn't sit so low that I feel like I'm wearing a pair of boy-cut undies. And the top has adjustable straps, so you can give the girls a little extra breathing room if you like.
What's the Fabric Like?
Let's take a moment, before we get to my potential wedgies and chafing, to dive deeper into the fabric. On the website, the glossy eco nylon looks a bit too Vegas for my taste (bedazzled neoprene is cool, just not my vibe). But in person, the suit has a subtle sheen, and a super soft matte interior layer. (So pretty.) And the removable cups aren't completely stiff, like in some other suits in the around-$100-price-category, which can outline the cups in "Nice to meet you, person at the pool, I can see you've noticed my foam breasts," kind of way. When wet, the suit also holds its shape, and true to the brand's claim, it is super quick-drying.
Overall, though the Santori style I ordered looks like a lightweight, single leotard-like layer on the models, this B is engineered, so it doesn't just slide up and on like all the other stretched-out numbers I already have populating my swimsuit drawer at home. No, this has a double layer of 76/24 percent recycled nylon/spandex, and let's just say the shape-holding nylon is winning.
